Machimus snowii (Hine)

Lavigne, Robert J. & Dennis, Steve, 2019, Robber flies (Insecta: Diptera: Asilidae) of Wyoming, USA with keys to genera and species, Zootaxa 4662 (1), pp. 1-126 : 49

Machimus snowii (Hine)

Asilus snowii Hine, 1909: 160 .

Recognition characters: Dark brown species; 15–20 mm; mystax with black bristles above and white or pale yellowish ones below; thorax clothed with yellowish dust; wings with reddish aspect, especially at the apex and along the posterior margin, veins often with hyaline margin; abdomen clothed with dust so as to give it a dark brown color, posterior margins of segments slightly lighter; femora with a preapical reddish band, front and middle tibiae with an annulus near the middle and black apex, metatarsus mostly yellow, black at the apex, other tarsal segments mostly black, usually narrowly yellowish at the base; hind tibiae mostly infuscated, but always a narrow basal space is yellowish.

Distribution: LARAMIE: Pine Bluffs, 27 June–28 Aug. ( RJL). Recorded from Wyoming by: Dennis & Lavigne (2007); Lavigne et al. (1968) (as Tolmerus snowii ).

Habitat: Grama-buffalo grass grassland vegetation type. In an area of a slow-flowing stream with aquatic and semi-aquatic plants such as horsetail ( Equisetum sp.), rush ( Juncus sp.), reed grass (Calamagrostii sp.), speedwell ( Veronica americana Schwein ), buttercup ( Ranunculus sp.)., and willow ( Salix sp.) overstory (see Lavigne et al. 1968, as Tolmerus snowii ).

Ethology: Limited information on predatory behavior (see Lavigne et al. 1968).

Prey: ORTHOPTERA (see Lavigne et al. 1968).